Day: August 2, 2026

Sukkur: Students from remote areas of northern Sindh impressed visitors with their outstanding art, culture and science models at a Mega Arts Festival held at the SRSO Complex, said a release issued here on Saturday.

Titled ‘Mega Art Festival 2026’, the festival was organized by the Education Team of the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO) in collaboration with the Government of Sindh and the School Education Department. More than 200 students from over 27 Community Cluster Schools and Education Management Organization (EMO) schools managed by SRSO in four districts, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Khairpur and Sukkur participated and set up stalls.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sukkur, Nadir Shahzad Khan, inaugurated the festival along with Chief Executive Officer of SRSO, Muhammad Dittal Kalhoro.

A large number of teachers, educationists, experts in arts, culture and science, government officials and journalists attended the event, including ADC-I Sukkur Bushra Mansoor, District Education Officer (Higher Secondary) Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah, and experts from the Arts Council Sukkur and Aror University Sukkur.

Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Deputy Commissioner Nadir Shahzad Khan said that such platforms enhance art and science understanding and confidence among students, especially girls and boys from remote areas like Kandhkot and Shikarpur who had prepared excellent projects.

“Education is the foundation of any society and girls should polish their talents for a bright future. I was delighted to see the passion for arts, culture, science and history among students from remote areas, ” he said.

Appreciating SRSO for organizing the mega event, the Deputy Commissioner said that such festivals should be held regularly.

He said that the working model of SRSO is appreciated not only by the Sukkur administration but by the entire Sindh government. Whenever the district administration needs help during floods, whether it is construction of houses for flood victims, launching campaigns in backward and remote areas or conducting various surveys, SRSO proves to be the best partner, which must be appreciated.

He said that it is generally alleged that rural talent is low, but the command of these secondary school students from remote Sindh over artistic, scientific and historical subjects was amazing.

In his welcome address, CEO SRSO Muhammad Dittal Kalhoro said that SRSO is currently working with 1. 4 million women across Sindh, with one woman from every household as its member.

He said that with the support of the Sindh government, 300, 000 women have been made self-reliant by providing loans and they are now running their households with economic dignity.

He said that praising SRSO means praising the programs and policies of the Sindh government, because SRSO is running with the funding of the Sindh government.

Mr. Kalhoro appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to take special measures for rural women who face difficulties in obtaining bank loans due to documentary requirements and high interest rates, and requested to formulate a policy of easy, interest-free loans for them.

He said that promotion of education is his top personal priority and the education sector of SRSO has always had his full support, because education is the only path to development.

Senior Manager Social Sector SRSO, Nematullah Shaikh, said that the high level of participation is a clear indication that students have a deep interest in highlighting the culture and history of their rural areas as well as in the use of science and engineering.

He said that this festival has reached rural students who generally do not get an opportunity to exhibit their projects, thereby promoting a culture of research and practical learning in arts, culture and geography.

The girl students who had set up stalls also shared their stories and the difficulties they face in remote areas.

The projects displayed by the students included models of Minar-e-Pakistan, Mazar-e-Quaid, Lansdowne Bridge, Mir Masoom Shah Minara, SRSO Complex, rural and urban life, hospitals, pollution control technology for vehicle smoke, solar and wind hybrid system, earthquake alarm, water purification, reflection of light, models of several cities, structure of Sadh Belo Temple and other innovative solutions for climate change.

Three schools won cash prizes for the best projects. The first prize was Rs. 50, 000, the second prize Rs. 35, 000 and the third prize Rs. 25, 000.

Assistant Commissioner (AC) Sukkur Bushra Mansoor and Director Education Sukkur Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah also addressed the ceremony.

At the end, appreciation certificates were distributed among the participants of all schools, while shields and traditional Ajrak gifts were presented to the chief guest and distinguished guests.

Faisalabad: Faisalabad district police have finalised comprehensive security arrangements for the general election on August 2 for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) refugee seats by deploying 219 police personnel and seven Elite Force teams to ensure peaceful, transparent and uninterrupted polling across the district.

Police spokesman Tariq Jatt said on Saturday that on the directions of City Police Officer (CPO) Tanveer Hussain, a comprehensive security plan had been put in place for all polling stations established in Faisalabad.

Under the plan, police officers and personnel would remain on high alert throughout the polling process to maintain law and order and provide a secure environment for voters.

He said that total seven polling stations had been established in the district for AJK refugee seats election.

To ensure smooth conduct of polling and prevent any untoward incident, 219 police officers and personnel would perform security duties at the polling stations and surrounding areas, he added.

He said that the deployment includes 10 gazetted officers, 18 inspectors and sub inspectors, 21 assistant sub inspectors, 19 head constables, 137 constables, 14 lady constables and seven teams of the Elite Force.

He said that the CPO had directed all officers and personnel to discharge their duties with utmost professionalism, vigilance and responsibility so that voters could exercise their democratic right in a safe and peaceful environment without fear or intimidation.

He said that foolproof security arrangements and an orderly polling process would be ensured at all costs while all deployed personnel had been instructed to remain fully alert and ready to respond promptly to any emergency situation.

He further said that the entire polling process would be monitored continuously through Safe City surveillance camera network.

All supervisory officers had also been directed to maintain effective field monitoring in their respective jurisdictions and ensure immediate action in case of any untoward incident, he added.

Meanwhile, CPO Tanveer Hussain described election duty as a national responsibility and made it clear that negligence, carelessness or any unprofessional conduct during the polling process would not be tolerated.

The police are committed to ensure complete impartiality, transparency and robust security arrangements for the peaceful conduct of AJK refugee seats election, he added.

Burewala: The death toll from a gas cylinder explosion at a sweets shop in Burewala has risen to four after another critically injured victim succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said on Saturday.

Shabbir Ahmed, son of Khadim Hussain and owner of Al-Karam Sweets, died in the intensive care unit of the burn unit at Nishtar Hospital Multan. He had been receiving treatment since the blast and was among those most seriously injured.

The explosion occurred at Al-Karam Sweets near Chungi No. 5 after a reported gas leak, leaving 13 people, including two children, with burn injuries. Emergency teams shifted the injured to hospitals for treatment following the incident.

Police said two other victims remain in critical condition, while authorities continue to monitor the situation and investigate the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Faisalabad: A teenager boy was crushed to death in road mishap in the area of D-Type Colony police station. Rescue 1122 spokesman said here on Saturday that 18-year-old Rana Muhammad Zubair resident of Chak No. 496-GB was trying to board on a running passenger bus near Aziz Hotel on Samundri Road when he accidentally slipped and fell down on the road.

In the meantime, the rear wheels of the bus ran him down. As a result, the boy received serious head injuries and died on the spot.

The police took the body into custody and shifted him to mortuary for postmortem while further investigation was under progress, spokesman added.

Bahawalpur: Member National Assembly, former provincial minister and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Malik Haji Iqbal Channar passed away after a prolonged ailment here on Saturday.

According to family members, Malik Iqbal Channar suffered a brain hemorrhage several weeks ago and underwent surgery. However, he could not recover and passed away following his prolonged illness. He was the elected MNA from NA-168 Bahawalpur-V. He was also the father of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Malik Haji Zaheer Iqbal Channar.

According to family sources, he received his early education in Bahawalpur before earning his LLB degree from Wilayat Hussain Islamia Law College, Multan, in 1971. He subsequently began his professional career as an advocate and agriculturist. A veteran and ideological leader of PML-N, he entered practical politics through the local government system in the 1980s. He served as a District Council member from 1983 to 1991, later becoming Administrator of the Market Committee (1989-1993) and its Chairman (1993-1994).

He was elected to the Punjab Assembly on the PML-N ticket for three consecutive terms from PP-272 Bahawalpur in the 2002, 2008, and 2013 general elections. During his tenure in the Punjab government under then Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he served as Provincial Minister for Special Education, Provincial Minister for Prisons, and later Provincial Minister for Cooperatives.

In the 2024 general elections, he was elected to the National Assembly for the first time from NA-168 Bahawalpur-V on the PML-N ticket, securing victory with a significant majority. He is survived by two sons and three daughters.

Hyderabad: The light rainfall which was followed by drizzle in Hyderabad on Saturday evening led to an almost total shutdown of power supply in Hyderabad district while half of the 11 KV feeders of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) in the company’s areas of operation were also affected. HESCO’s spokesman Sadiq Kubar informed here on Saturday night that electric supply to 157 feeders in Hyderabad out of the city’s total of 166 feeders was suspended after the rain.

Likewise, he added, out of the total of 722 feeders in its jurisdiction in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions some 355 feeders were shut down due to the downpour.

According to the spokesman, the electric supply would be restored once the teams of HESCO visited their respective areas and green signals to their respective grid stations to restart the feeders.

He advised the people on behalf of the company to staff away from the electric poles during the rain.